Sakauri Wilson Scores 26 as Sandites Defeat Edmond Memorial in Season Opener

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A fast start and suffocating defense led the Lady Sandite hoopers to a statement 41-33 win over Edmond Memorial in Tuesday’s season opener at the Ed Dubie Field House.

“It was a hard one to start off with,” said head coach Josh Berry. “I think they just played great. We executed. We’ve got a lot to work, but you like to work on it with a win, so I’m just glad for that.”

Southwestern Oklahoma State-committed senior Sakauri Wilson piled on 26 points in an East vs. West matchup that heralded the new district era of Oklahoma prep hoops.

The OSSAA has shifted to district play for the first time in basketball, throwing conference rivalries out the window. The West side of the state has historically been seen as a more dominant region in basketball, but districts 3 and 4 will put that to the test this season.

The East side got its first big win as the Sandites took down one of last season’s State semifinalists.

Wilson scored 8 unanswered points to end the first quarter with a 15-8 advantage.

Avery Hjelmstad, a heavily recruited Division I prospect, gave her team its only lead at 8-7, but was held to only four points in the first half as the Sandites took a 25-12 lead into the locker room.

Wilson, meanwhile, tallied 19 first-half points, including three treys.

“She’s a special player,” said Berry. “She carried the load offensively, but I thought Yanni (Morris), Tayja (Butler), Tianna (Butler), and Kiaryn (Taylor) did some great jobs defensively.”

“To hold somebody like that to 12 points at halftime, as a team, I think that’s really where we won the game today is defensively.”

Wilson was the only Sandite with a field goal in the first half but Morris and Taylor found the backboard in the third quarter and the Sandites took a 39-22 advantage into the fourth.

Memorial tried to rally, scoring 11 in a row to cut it to 39-33 but Wilson ended the night with a pair of free throws to put the game away.

Sand Springs had the better shooters both in the field and at the charity stripe and won the turnover battle as well with 10 takeaways,

Notably, the Sandites got the win without two of their potential starters. Hope Bump, a junior transfer from Claremore whose dad joined the coaching staff this season, is still waiting for clearance from the OSSAA.

They were also missing Abigaile Martin, who saw substantial playing time last season but is out with a likely season-ending injury.

Janiyah Williams, a heavily recruited five-star prospect, was held to only 11 points to lead the Bulldogs while Hjelmstad only had 8.

The Lady Sandites will return to action Friday at 6:30 p.m. with a district road game against Owasso (1-0, 1-0) while Edmond Memorial will host Putnam City (1-0, 1-0) on Friday.

CPHS 41 EDM 33

1Q: CPHS 15-8.
2Q: CPHS 10-4.
3Q: CPHS 14-10.
4Q: EDM 11-2.

Field Goals: CPHS 10-of-37, EDM 11-of-50.
Free Throws: CPHS 16-of-22, EDM 11-of-16.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 7, EDM 15.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 15, EDM 12.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 24, EDM 27.
Steals: CPHS 10, EDM 6.
Blocks: CPHS 2, EDM 1.
Fouls: CPHS 16, EDM 21.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Wilson 26, Morris 6, Taylor 6, Pearce 2, Ti. Butler 1.
Offensive Rebounds: Ti. Butler 2, Pearce 2, Taylor 1, Ta. Butler 1, Simone 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Wilson 5, Taylor 4, Morris 3, Ti. Butler 2, Ta. Butler 1, Simone 1, Pearce 1.
Total Rebounds: Wilson 5, Taylor 5, Ti. Butler 4, Morris 3, Pearce 3, Simone 2, Ta. Butler 2.
Steals: Ti. Butler 4, Wilson 2, Morris 2, Ta. Butler 1, Simone 1.
Assists: Wilson 2.
Blocks: Taylor 1, Ti. Butler 1.
Fouls: Taylor 3, Ti. Butler 3, Simone 3, Wilson 2, Morris 2, Ta. Butler 2, Pearce 1.

Edmond Memorial Statistics

Points Williams 11, Hjelmstad 8, Johnson 6, Hawkins 4, Aska 2, Morris 2.
Fouls: Hawkins 4, Johnson 4, Williams 4, Hjelmstad 2, Morris 2, Booker 2, Aska 1, Kirk 1, Jordan 1.

Sandite Basketball Tips Off Tuesday at Home Against Edmond Memorial

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The Charles Page High School varsity basketball teams will tip off the season Tuesday night at the Ed Dubie Field House in a district double-header against Edmond Memorial.

The varsity girls will play at 6:30 p.m. while the boys will play at 8:00 p.m.

The girls are in their fifth year under head coach Josh Berry, who holds a 68-30 record at Sand Springs and a 166-143 record overall.

The Lady Sandites went 18-9 overall last season and 9-5 in the final year of Frontier Valley Conference play. They ended their season in the Area consolation finals, one round short of the State tournament.

The girls graduated Fayth Walker and All-State selection Hailey Jackson, but return Sakauri Wilson, Taiona Morris, and Kiaryn Taylor, who are all receiving attention from college recruiters. Abigaile Martin, Calla Fueshko, and Patience Pearce are all impactful returners.

The Sandites also picked up a big-time transfer in Hope Bump, a junior star at Claremore who was an All-Conference second-team selection in the Metro Lakes who averaged 18 points and 9 boards last season.

The boys went 10-14 overall and 3-11 in FVC play under head coach Eric Savage, who holds a 123-121 record after ten seasons at Sand Springs and a 428-214 record overall.

The boys graduated Michael Foster, Jax Marshall, Kade Holland, Sam Hayes, and Luke Hooper, but will still return a talented lineup anchored by Alijah Roper, Kooper Kelly, Blake Johnson, and Khalil Allen.

Junior transfer Deke Thompson will be a high-profile addition from Jenks as an All-Conference Honorable Mention last season. Marcus Mitchell, Zane Fueshko, and Colin Shope all return a wealth of experience from last season.

The OSSAA shifted to district play this season, meaning the Sandites will say goodbye to old rivals like Sapulpa, Broken Arrow, Bixby, Muskogee, Booker T. Washington, and Jenks. Shockingly, the Highway 97 Rivalry is not on the schedule this season.

Edmond Memorial will be the first district opponent for the Sandites in the new era. The Bulldog boys went 12-11 last season while the girls were 22-5.

The Lady Sandites’ last meeting with the Bulldogs was a 50-46 victory in the Area consolation playoffs in 2021. If the boys have ever played Edmond Memorial, it was before Sandite Pride’s records.

Sandite College Football Report: Pennington Makes Playoff Run with Pitt State

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Photo by Derek Livingston, Pitt State Athletics.

Just two seasons removed from establishing himself as the most successful quarterback in Sand Springs history, Ty Pennington is now making a name for himself at Pittsburg State University.

The redshirt freshman has been a productive backup this season, passing 46-of-67 for 447 yards and 6 touchdowns with zero interceptions while carrying the ball 74 times for 344 yards and 4 touchdowns.

The No. 7 ranked Gorillas are 11-1 on the season and poised for an NCAA Division II playoff meeting at No. 2 Grand Valley State (10-1) this Saturday at 12:00 p.m. in Allendale, Michigan.

Pennington made his debut in a season-opening 34-7 win against Washburn (2-9), completing his only pass attempt and finishing with 23 total yards on five plays.

In the second game of the year he went 3-of-4 for 44 yards and a touchdown with 43 rushing yards on five attempts in a 40-14 win over Fort Hays State (7-4).

Two weeks later he was 2-of-2 for 23 yards while rushing six times for a career-high 53 yards and a touchdown in a 33-14 win over the Nebraska-Kearney.

In their first ranked matchup of the year, the No. 3 Gorillas prevailed 33-25 over No. 20 Emporia State (8-3) and Pennington had a career night on the ground and in the air. The former Sandite was 8-of-10 passing for 96 yards and two touchdowns while running 10 times for a team-high 80 yards.

Pennington saw limited action in a 31-21 win over Missouri Southern State (5-6) but worked his way into the game early in a 28-7 victory against Northwest Missouri State (7-4), scoring three of the Gorillas’ four touchdowns on short-yardage wildcat packages.

The No. 2 ranked Gorillas improved to 9-0 on Homecoming with a 55-6 rout of Sioux Falls (3-8). Pennington was 4-of-5 passing for 72 yards and two touchdowns.

The Gorillas’ 20-game MIAA win streak came to an end in a 31-30 loss to Missouri Western State (8-3), but Pitt got back on track with a 20-10 win over Central Oklahoma (5-6) to clinch back-to-back MIAA Championships.

Pennington got the start in the win, filling in for injured starter Chad Dodson Jr., and was 18-of-30 passing for a career-high 108 yards and one touchdown.

Pennington returned to his backup role in the first round of the playoffs, passing 1-of-2 for 17 yards while leading the Gorillas on the ground with 8 carries for 76 yards in a 35-14 victory over GLVC Champion University of Indianapolis (9-2).

Saturday’s game against the GLIAC Champions will be broadcast live on pay-per-view at this link for $10.55.

The Gorillas also beat Indianapolis in the first round of last year’s playoffs before falling to Ferris State, last year’s GLIAC Champion.

Pitt State is the winningest program in NCAA Division II history with four national championships, but hasn’t made it past the second round since its 2011 championship season.

The GOAT Retires

While Ty Pennington is the best quarterback in Sandite history statistically, Payton Scott is the best running back, holding almost every single-game, season-single, and career rushing record at Sand Springs.

Scott finished his senior season with 31 carries for 161 yards and one touchdown plus 8 receptions for 51 yards. In his career he had 135 carries for 662 yards and five touchdowns plus 27 receptions for 165 yards. The Bronchos went 5-6 this season

Northwest Oklahoma Reunion

Charles Page High School offensive line coach Jason Medrano was hired as the assistant head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University after the 2022 season and immediately began recruiting some familiar players.

2023 graduates Drake Fain, Kyle Morrall, and Jacob Blevins all enrolled at NWOSU as freshmen and 2022 alum Blake Jones transferred from Northeastern State.

The Rangers went 1-10 in their first season under head coach Ronnie Jones, matching their previous year’s total. They snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 41-0 rout of rival Southwestern Oklahoma State (0-11) in the season finale.

Jones finished the season with 16 carries for 14 yards and one touchdown, one reception for 38 yards, seven kick returns for an average of 10 yards, and one tackle.

Fain had 23 tackles, including a season-best seven against Henderson State, and a sack against SWOSU.

Morrall had one kick return for 15 yards and a tackle. Blevins saw action in one game but recorded no statistics.

CPHS seniors Marcus Sims and Kenneth Page both also have offers from NWOSU and could grow the number of Sandite-Rangers next season.

NSU Looking Forward

2023 alum Brody Rutledge joined 2022 grad Gabe Brown at Northeastern State University this season. The RiverHawks went 1-10 on the season and fired head coach J.J. Eckert following a four-year, 4-40 campaign.

Brown redshirted last year and made 9 tackles in his freshman season, with 2.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. Rutledge played in four games as a true freshman but didn’t record any stats.

Sandite Dance Wins Showmanship Award at DTU Regionals

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The Charles Page High School dance team competed at the Dance Team Union Regionals last weekend at Broken Arrow and earned the specialty Showmanship Award in Hip Hop.

The Sandites placed third in Varsity Hip Hop with a score of 72.73 and were seventh in Small Varsity Pom with a score of 81.07.

The JV team placed third in Pom with a score of 78.57 and the seventh grade Pom team placed third in its division with a score of 70.53.

Sandite Recruiting Report: Kiaryn Taylor Offered by Cleveland Community College

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5’10” senior small forward Kiaryn Taylor announced on social media Monday that she had received an offer to play collegiate basketball at Cleveland Community College.

CCC is an NJCAA program in Shelby, North Carolina. The Yetis are a first-year program led by Scooter Lawrence, who previously coached the Shelby High School basketball team to a State Championship and multiple conference titles. Cleveland is 1-2 at press time in its inaugural season.

Taylor also holds offers from Western Texas College, Ranger College, and Lincoln Trail College. She is one of three Lady Sandites with plans to play at the next level.

5’3” senior guard Sakauri Wilson signed a letter of intent to play at Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Wednesday, November 8th.

5’7” senior guard Taiona “Yonnie” Morris recently announced her commitment to play at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

On the boys’ side, 6’4” junior guard Deke Thompson recently announced his first college offer on Monday from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

The Sandites will kick off the season on Tuesday, November 28th, against Edmond Memorial. The district home games will start with varsity girls at 6:30 p.m. and varsity boys at 8:00 p.m. at the Ed Dubie Field House.

Golf

Senior Mason Ward announced his commitment to Coffeyville Community College on Monday, November 13th.

Softball

Senior RHP/INF Kelsi Hilton signed an LOI with Southern Nazarene University on November 8th.

Junior RHP/IB/OF Addison Hughes holds one offer from Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

Football

Senior lineman/TE Evan Williams (5’10”, 215 pounds) committed to play at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas on November 10th.

Senior offensive lineman Marcus Sims (6’0”, 265 pounds) has received offers to play at Langston University and Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Sophomore quarterback Easton Webb (6’3” 175 pounds) is committed to playing baseball at Oklahoma State University, but he recently received a Division I football offer from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

Sophomore lineman Ryley Kester (6’4” 270 pounds) has received offers from UNLV, Houston, Tulsa, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, and Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Sophomore receiver Brock O’Dell (5’10” 170 pounds) holds one college offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Senior offensive lineman Tyler “Tank” Smith (5’10” 285 pounds) holds one college offer from Hendrix.

Senior linebacker Owen Floyd (6’0” 190 pounds) has earned two offers this season from Hendrix and Oklahoma Wildcats Prep.

Senior running back Kenneth Page (6’0” 190 pounds) holds one offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Junior receiver Kooper Kelly holds one offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Baseball

Six Sandite baseball players signed letters of intent to play college ball on November 8th.

Senior RF/LHP Kayden Campbell (5’9” 165 pounds) signed with Cowley County Community College.

Senior right-handed pitcher Eli Buxton (6’6” 185 pounds) signed with Arizona State University.

Senior OF/LHP Miller Tavaglione (6’2” 190 pounds) and senior INF/RHP Jace Arnold (6’2” 180 pounds) signed with Allen County Community College.

Senior INF Wyatt Rutledge (6’2” 170 pounds) signed with Northern Oklahoma College at Enid.

Senior INF/RHP Jackson Stewart (5’11” 195 pounds) signed with McPherson College.

Soccer

Two senior soccer players signed LOIs on November 8th.

Senior Ava Watts signed to play Division I soccer at Texas A&M-Commerce.

Senior Kate Webb signed to play at University of the Ozarks.

Coaches, players, and parents can send recruiting updates to sanditepridenews@gmail.com.

Sandites Crown Six Champions at Union Open

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The Sand Springs wrestling team crowned six champions at the Union/Pryor Ice Fighter Open Saturday in Tulsa, including three high schoolers and three junior high wrestlers.

High School Boys

Preston Reyna won the 144A bracket with three pins, taking out Broken Arrow’s Robert Miller in the finals in 2:41.

Zander Grigsby won the 175A bracket, outscoring his opponents 25-2 with two decisions and a 13-0 major decision against Stillwater’s Noah Perkins in the finals.

Jaxon Grigsby was runner-up at 132BA, outscoring his first four foes 47-1 with three major decisions and a technical fall before falling 1-0 to Coweta’s Toby Shipman in the finals.

Peyton Callis was runner-up at 190, pinning his first two opponents and winning a 7-5 decision against Broken Arrow’s Braden Jones in the semis before falling 6-2 to Stillwater’s Parker Brown in the finals.

Kase Skaggs placed third at 120B, pinning his first two foes before falling to Broken Arrow’s Hudson Beckley. In consolation he won a pair of decisions.

Jaxon Trotter placed third at 175B, with a major decision, a technical fall, and a pin. He fell 11-0 to Edmond North’s Jude Randall in the semifinals but pinned Union’s Jeremiah T’eo in the consolation finals.

Ayreson Reiss placed fourth at 113A, winning three decisions in the consolation bracket, with both of his losses coming to the same wrestler. Broken Arrow’s Bradley Lazzerini pinned Reiss in the first round and received a medical forfeit in the placement match.

Matthew Moore placed fourth at 138A with two pins and a decision, only losing a pair of decisions including a close 7-6 finale against Poteau’s Jake Fredrickson.

Colt Chambers finished with a winning 3-2 record at 132BA, pinning his first three foes in the first period before being eliminated one round short of placement.

High School Girls

Ambrielle Chambers won the 105 bracket with three first-period falls, taking down Enid’s Kadence Fuksa in the finals.

Trinity Owens placed third at 115, losing her first match to Broken Arrow’s Kristen DeLaRosa before pinning her next two opponents in the first period.

Laila Mirza placed third at 120, pinning her first opponents in 0:24 before giving up a fall in the semifinals to Broken Arrow’s Emily Beckley. In consolation she won a 7-0 decision before pinning Union’s Ma’Kadrian Titus in 18 seconds.

Audree Robinson placed fourth at 130, winning a 12-3 major decision in the consolation semifinals before falling to Henryetta’s Kiley Haywood.

Kayla Arnold went 2-2 at 140 with a decision and a pin, but was eliminated one round short of placement.

Junior High Boys (8th/9th Grade)

Kaden Pope won the 132-pound bracket with four pins and a 10-2 major decision over Owasso’s Jaxon Truitt in the finals.

Hunter Fields placed third at 155 with four pins and an 11-0 major decision, only falling 7-0 to Booker T. Washington’s Maximus Houston in the semifinals. In the consolation finals he pinned Fort Gibson’s Kolt Stevens in 2:52.

Brody Wilson went 4-2; Caleb Childers and Joshua Compton went 3-2; and Andrew Price, Kellen Foster, Conner Mcentire, Elijah Hadley, Camryn Ewing, and Blake Norton all went 2-2, but were eliminated short of placement.

Junior High Girls

Kenzi Johnson took first place at 89 pounds with an 18-3 technical fall and a pin of Ponca City’s Jaycee Wardlow in 1:02 in the finals.

Savannah Taylor was runner-up at 102 pounds, outscoring her first two opponents 19-2 before falling to Broken Arrow’s Jaylyn Lazzerini in the finals.

Lyla Waldren placed fourth at 102 with a sudden-victory decision and a pin, with both of her losses coming to Cleveland’s Hannah Stephenson.

Faith Humble went 2-2 but was eliminated short of placement.

Boys Middle School (6/7th Grade)

Brody Flores was runner-up at 73 pounds, going 2-1 in a round robin with a decision and a forfeit.

Gage Buchanan went 2-2 at 119 but was eliminated short of placement.

Girls Middle School

Kambyr Lee won the 145-pound bracket with two pins.

Chloe Strawn placed third at 82, pinning McAlester’s Lily Dykens in 1:56.

Liz Cline placed third at 126 with a decision and a forfeit.

Baylin Maynard placed third at 138 with two first-period falls.

Brylee Smith placed fourth at 155.

The Lady Sandites also recently held the program’s first ever junior high dual meet at Cleveland, falling 48-30.